Slack guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
Click your profile picture, then Update your status. Type a short message, pick an emoji or a suggested status, choose when it should clear, and save. On a phone, tap your profile picture and the status field, then Done.
Set it to clear on its own: a status left as “In a meeting” for three days tells people the wrong thing. Choose Clear after when you set it.
Below: the steps on a computer and a phone, pausing notifications, and the difference between a status and being away.
How to update your Slack status, on desktop and mobile
To set your status in Slack, start from your profile picture. The first group covers a computer, the second a phone, and the last covers clearing it and showing yourself as away.
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On a computer
Click your profile picture
In the Slack desktop app or a browser, click your profile picture in the sidebar. A menu opens with your name and current status at the top.
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Click Update your status and write it
Click Update your status. Type a short message and click the emoji to choose one, or pick a suggestion such as In a meeting or On holiday, which comes with its own emoji and clear time.
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Choose when it clears, then save
Use the clear option to set how long the status lasts, such as 30 minutes, today or a date. Tick the option to pause notifications until then if you do not want to be disturbed. Click Save.
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On a phone
Tap your profile picture, then the status field
In the Slack app, tap your profile picture and tap the status field. Type the message and add an emoji if you like.
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Set Clear after and tap Done
Tap Clear after to choose how long the status lasts, then tap Done. The status appears beside your name on every device.
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Change or clear it
Clear your status early
Click or tap your profile picture, then your current status. Edit it, or select Clear status on a computer or Clear on a phone.
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Show yourself as away or active
In the same profile menu, select Set yourself as away to show the away dot without changing your status, and Set yourself as active to come back. Slack also marks you away after 10 minutes without activity on a computer.
Off sick for a day: set the status to 🤒 “Off sick, back tomorrow”, set it to clear today, and pause notifications until the morning. Colleagues see it beside your name before they message, and nothing pings you.
Pair a status with a clear time every time: Slack removes it for you, so it is never out of date.
More about Slack
Team chat organised into channels, with a free plan that shows 90 days of history.
If your Slack status is not doing what you expect
- Your status disappeared earlier than you wanted
It cleared at the time you chose, or a calendar integration replaced it. Set it again with a later clear time.
- People still get notifications through to you
A status does not silence Slack on its own. Turn on the option to pause notifications when you set it, or pause them from the notifications menu.
- You show as away while working
Slack marks you away after 10 minutes of no activity on a computer, or when you set it yourself. Select Set yourself as active in the profile menu.
Status, away and paused notifications
Slack has three separate ways to tell people you are not available, and they do different things.
| Setting | What people see | Does it stop notifications |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Your emoji and message beside your name | No |
| Away | A grey dot instead of a green one | No |
| Paused notifications | A small bell icon on your profile | Yes |
For a holiday, use all three: a status that clears on your return, away, and notifications paused until then.
Statuses that help the people messaging you
A good status answers the question someone has before they write to you: can this person reply now, and when?
- In a meeting until 15:00 tells them when.
- Focusing, reply after lunch sets an expectation.
- On holiday until 18 Nov, ask Sam gives them somewhere else to go.
What to do after setting your status
Once a status is set with a clear time, there is nothing left to remember: it goes away on its own.
Click your profile picture, choose Update your status, and set when it clears. If you need real quiet, not just a label, turn on paused notifications too.
Slack status questions
- Who can see my Slack status?
- Everyone in your workspace. It appears beside your name in messages, the member list and your profile.
- Does a status stop notifications?
- No, not by itself. Choose the option to pause notifications when you set it, and Slack stays quiet until the status clears.
- What is the difference between a status and away?
- A status is a message and emoji you write. Away is the grey dot showing you are not active. You can have either, both or neither.
- Can I set a status for a future day?
- You can set one now that clears on a chosen date, such as for a holiday. Slack does not schedule a status to start later.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 8 days ago
When you need this
To show colleagues in Slack that you are in a meeting, on holiday or focusing, set a status from your profile picture and choose when it clears. Being away is a separate setting.
- Describes
- Slack desktop app for Mac and Windows, and Slack in a browser · Slack app for iPhone and Android
- Takes
- Under a minute
- Platforms
- Web · macOS · Windows · iOS · Android
- Published
- 16 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt and 
Daniel Okonkwo
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
- Daniel Okonkwo: the Mac steps on a MacBook Pro (macOS 27.0.1), the iPhone steps on an iPhone 15 (iOS 27.0.1) and the Android steps on a Pixel 9 Pro (Android 17).
Limits quoted here come from Slack’s documentation and were not tested.
Slack 
